When a NBA player finishes a season shooting 50% from the field, 40% from three and 90% from the free throw line (and they have enough shots to qualify for each), they join an elite group of shooters. The “50-40-90 Club” as it’s commonly known, or the “180 Club” as NBA players and coaches refer to it, is the pinnacle of shooting efficiency.
The club is so exclusive and elite that its membership counts just seven players and the “180 season” has only been accomplished 11 times in the 35+ seasons that the NBA has had the NBA three-point line –since 1979-80.
The 50-40-90 list is a who’s who of great shooters and each has been an NBA All-Star — Larry Bird, Stephen Curry, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Durant, Steve Nash and Reggie Miller. This shooting club is so great that revered shooters like Ray Allen and John Stockton aren’t on the list.
Here’s every player (including their shooting percentages) and the season they qualified for the accomplishment — sorted chronologically.
| Season | Player | FG% | 3P% | FT% | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986–87 | Larry Bird | 52.5% | 40% | 91% | 28.05 |
| 1987–88 | Larry Bird | 52.7% | 41.4% | 91.6% | 29.93 |
| 1988–89 | Mark Price | 52.6% | 44.1% | 90.1% | 18.85 |
| 1993–94 | Reggie Miller | 50.3% | 42.1% | 90.8% | 19.92 |
| 2005–06 | Steve Nash | 51.2% | 43.9% | 92.1% | 18.85 |
| 2006–07 | Dirk Nowitzki | 50.2% | 41.6% | 90.4% | 24.56 |
| 2007–08 | Steve Nash | 50.4% | 47% | 90.6% | 16.93 |
| 2008–09 | Steve Nash | 50.3% | 43.9% | 93.3% | 15.68 |
| 2009–10 | Steve Nash | 50.7% | 42.6% | 93.8% | 16.46 |
| 2012-13 | Kevin Durant | 51.0% | 41.6% | 90.5% | 28.1 |
| 2015-16 | Stephen Curry | 50.4% | 45.4% | 90.8% | 30.1 |
| 2018-19 | Malcolm Brogdon | 50.5% | 42.6% | 92.8% | 15.6 |
As you can see, some players accomplished the feat multiple times. Steve Nash, the two-time NBA MVP pulled off the shooting accomplishment an unprecedented four times. Larry Bird is on the list twice in consecutive seasons — 1986-87 and 1987-88. Bird almost had a third season on the list, but in 1985-86 he came up short with 49.6 FG% and 89.6 FT%.
50-40-90 Qualifications and Minimums
There have been a list of players that have pulled off the 50-40-90 but were barred from membership because they didn’t meet the shooting minimums to be considered in that statistical leader in the respective category that season. Here’s some more info from Wikipedia:
The miss can also include one or more “near misses” added to the shortfelt numbers (the statistical categories in which they fell short are highlighted and marked with asterisks). The minimum requirements to be listed are: 50% of the needed made shots in at least 2 of the 3 categories.
These shooting minimums have varied by season, but the current shooting minimums you must meet to be in the 50-40-90 club are:
| Stat | 180 Club Min | League Minimum |
|---|---|---|
| FGM | 50% | 300 |
| 3PM | 40% | 82 |
| FTM | 90% | 125 |
These are “made” baskets not attempts.
No offense to Jon Barry, Mario Elie, José Calderón, Steve Kerr and any other players that technically had 50-40-90 seasons, but volume matters here. Utilizing league minimums for qualification for statistical leaders is a good approach for 50-40-90 membership, too.
More 50-40-90 Seasons On The Way?
Most recently, Steph Curry surprisingly *just* joined the club after his spellbinding 2015-16 season. Prior to that, Kevin Durant went “180” a few seasons back in 2012-13.
As shooting has improved over the years, it does seem like the 50-40-90 club is becoming “easier” to join. From the 1979-80 season to 2004-05, there were just four 50-40-90 seasons during those 25 years. Since the 2005-06 season, these last eleven NBA regular seasons has seen seven instances of 50-40-90 feat.
With Steph Curry in his prime, it’s safe to assume that he has a couple more seasons of 50-40-90?
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